


Passing time

by Blindsunshine



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Closure, Emotions, F/M, Fluff, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 11:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12704496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blindsunshine/pseuds/Blindsunshine
Summary: “Flowers… they always remain the same. Their petals never change, their colours never fade. But each year, they bloom a little differently. It may be hard to notice, but it depends on how well taken care of they are. Sometimes they may not even bloom again at all.”She comes to a halt in the path, lightly picking up a watering can and beginning to tend to the flowers before her. Sprinkling them in the dew of fresh, cold water.“Just like these flowers, I am the same. It has been three, long years now since those events took place. And I am still me, but, I have just bloomed a little differently.”





	Passing time

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose you can call this a little of Rika/V but it is not in any way romantic. I do not pair these two as their whole relationship was based on unhealthy impulses and repressed emotions. However I wanted to make this in dedication to Rika's recent birthday, she is definitely an underappreciated character and receives lots of hate. But in this fic, I've written a scenario of what I always wanted for her. For her to find the courage within herself, to realise her mistakes and carve her own path to a better place. It's a lot of self-help and Rika and V finally coming face-to-face to discuss their mistakes, but most importantly, give each other the closure so they can move on for the better. I hope you enjoy.

_My name is Rika._

_I have been abandoned._

_Discarded._

_For I am a plague on this world._

_Maybe this is better?_

_Perhaps it is worse._

_But all I know now is that I am well and truly alone._

_And nobody is going to save me, from this pit I will forever rot within._

.

.

.

It has been three years since the events of Mint Eye took place.

The thin and frail lady sits upon an idle bench, which overlooks the view of a spectacular and flourishing garden. Its leaves are ripe with fresh green and daisies scatter across the blanket of grass, with flowers blossoming colours all around, adorned by the glimmering light of the sun’s rays. A smile rests on the woman’s face, her short, golden locks curving along the sides of her face. While she watches the scene beyond her, serenity held within her lime orbs.

She does not lift her gaze away when a gentleman approaches and sits by her side. A respectable distance, but not too isolated away from her form.

_“You cut your hair?”_

Her smile lifts a little, as she still does not turn her gaze, but answers his question.

_“I did. I never much liked it when it was long, truthfully. It was always too much to handle, and keeping it felt like I was only forcing myself.”_

_“I think it looks nice, you suit it.”_

_“Thank you. I see you cut your hair as well.”_

Her eyes finally tread to the side to look towards his now shorter, blue locks. Observing them for a moment, before turning back to her previous gaze on the garden.

_“Yes… I must agree, long hair is quite a hassle to deal with.”_

_“V.”_

She began, but suddenly stops herself and starts over.

_“No… Jihyun. You and I both know, that you surely did not come here just for an idle chat.”_

Their eyes finally meet, as she looks towards him with a mildly serious expression. While Jihyun’s is more complex, looking as if he wasn’t entirely sure as to how he could answer the question. Silence lingers between the two for a brief moment, the passing sounds of rustling leaves and birds chirping filling the space between them. Then the male relaxes his posture slightly, softening his eyes.

_“You’re right, I didn’t. I guess I just wanted to… see if this was really the right thing to do. I know years ago, I held a lot of resentment when we’d finally parted. But since then I’ve wanted to change myself, truly change myself. And after years of searching for the real me… I feel like I found him, and that I am content with him. So, I thought I would finally visit you because I felt ready. To both talk to you face-to-face, and to properly give you my apologies.”_

Jihyun pauses, taking a breath. Joining his hands together at his lap as he looks into Rika’s eyes, and gives to her what he only felt she deserved.

_“I am sorry, Rika. Not just for my own actions, but also for yours. Do not get me wrong, I am not blaming myself entirely here, that side of me has departed now. But our relationship, our interactions… I am sorry. They were never right. And for that, sorry is the only thing I can say about it.”_

Rika’s eyes fall in deep thought, as she listens to Jihyun’s words. Not inherently shocked by them. But they provoke her mind and several other feelings within her, ones which trying to describe would be almost impossible to do. She looks towards the sky, its blue radiance bearing down upon her. Feeling the heat of the sun as it tickles her cheeks.

_“I think sorry, is really the only thing that I can say too.”_

She pauses, before continuing.

_“And though I realise the same things you have, I cannot say that I have drastically changed in any way like you have. In fact, I’m almost the same. But… the perspective I have on myself has altered.”_

Suddenly, Rika stands from her seat. Her long, white dress drooping down to her ankles, as she hugs her cardigan closer to her. Her sandals start to crunch along the pebble-stoned pathway, as she begins to walk, ushering Jihyun to follow.

_“Would you follow me, for a short moment?”_

He seems hesitant at first but ultimately complies. As the two begin to walk along the path, parting through the sea of flowers and plants. Daffodils, tulips, bluebells. Brightly shining petals of yellow, rouge and deep blues mix along with all other arrays of flowers and colours.

The two simply look upon the flowers, Jihyun lightly treading behind Rika’s steps, as she makes the move to continue talking.

_“Flowers… they always remain the same. Their petals never change, their colours never fade. But each year, they bloom a little differently. It may be hard to notice, but it depends on how well taken care of they are. Sometimes they may not even bloom again at all.”_

She comes to a halt in the path, lightly picking up a watering can and beginning to tend to the flowers before her. Sprinkling them in the dew of fresh, cold water.  

_“Just like these flowers, I am the same. It has been three, long years now since those events took place. And I am still me, but, I have just bloomed a little differently.”_

_“And how has that made you feel now?”_

_“Strange… but content. More content with myself than I ever was.”_

Rika plops the watering can down and resumes her full attention back to Jihyun, the water along the petals now making them gleam even more so.

_“My time here has given me much more room to think. And at first, that wasn’t a good thing. For a long time, I spent it pondering on how I could have done things differently. How things might have worked in my favour if I’d just been a little more determined if I’d just been a little harsher. I was full of resentment, I was practically brimming with anger. Because I felt alone, and I felt as if I had been discarded and replaced.”_

_“What… changed those feelings?”_

_“I cannot say, maybe time truly had changed it. But to me, I felt like this isolation slowly became a good thing… For so long, being alone was what I feared the most. So much so that I craved love as desperately as a human craves food and water. But my need was at a much severe level… first, it began with you, and I was obsessed with receiving your love. But you suffocated me… you tried to paint over my darkness with your light, and I knew soon enough, that would leave me as an empty vessel. So then, I had decided to create Mint Eye.”_

Rika took notice of how Jihyun tensed up at the sound of that name. Of course, even after all these years, the pain and traumatic memories of that time would never fade away so easily.

_“That place… was wrong. But at the time, I felt like I needed it. I needed people to love me, because of the love you had stopped giving to me. But I fooled myself into thinking it was just because really, it was for the sake of my own sanity.”_

_“Rika…”_

Jihyun begins, sighing with a slight sadness in his tone. But it’s not so much as guilt, as it is pity.

_“Neither of us were… right at that time. We were like poison to one another. The more we consumed, the more our life force began to drain away.”_

_“I think I always knew that, somehow. But at that time, I blinded both you and myself unable to recognising it.”_

Despite the tense topic of conversation, the atmosphere remains calm. Both feel the lingering pain of the past gently wash over them. As their voices are soft, and the quiet breath of the wind, softer as it brushes over them.

_“But… it is not about that now.”_

Rika shifts the conversation slightly.

_“It is no longer about us loving each other, but instead about loving ourselves.”_

_“I do love myself now. But do you truly love who you are, Rika?”_

_“Yes, I do.”_

She answers quickly, a smile morphing at the corners of her delicate lips. Closing her eyes in her own contentment, as she continues on.

_“I love who I am, from now and even from the past. The darkness inside me… it is foolish for me to pretend it is gone because it hasn’t. And I don’t believe it ever will. But this time… I am not going to let it control me, nor am I going to ignore it. I will embrace it, but only as a small shadow when a light is pouring over me.”_

Slowly, the mint-haired painter returns the woman’s smile. The sun above, looms among a sea of cloudless blue in the sky, shining down over their frames. Painting them both in a golden light, and leaving their faint shadows trailing behind them.

_“I am really glad… it sounds like you did much better for yourself than I ever could have.”_

_“That matters not now, Jihyun. Wanting to help oneself, is the most important type of remedy.”_

Soon, the past had swept by them and they begin walking once more, smiles on their faces and openness within their hearts.

_“So, do you not feel like you’re ready to leave this place?”_

_“Not yet… the world is still a rather scary place on your own. I do not know if I am prepared to enter It again, yet. But this place feels like a home to me, anyway.”_

_“I see… I feel better knowing you are happy here. Though… you didn’t have a choice in the beginning…”_

.

.

.

They soon reach the bench once again. Having spent the remainder of their walk catching up on events and discussing the members of the RFA. Though, now they did not make a move to sit back down and continue.

_“Thank you for this, Rika. I’m glad I came. But it’s best we part ways now.”_

Jihyun made an awkward move to hug her or to shake her hand. But hesitates, and even recoils back a few times. Until Rika holds her hand up to pause his movements.

_“There’s no need for that. We don’t need to have contact to seal the end of this conversation. It’s fine like this, isn’t it?”_

He moves back again, nodding in agreement and sighing in relief at her understanding. He supposed she was right, they didn’t need to do this. Neither of them felt it was necessary.

_“Yes, yes, it is. Well farewell, for now, Rika. I hope our paths may cross again someday.”_

_“Jihyun…”_

As he was about to turn around, Rika stops him with her call. Making him turn back and meet with her eyes.

_“You should know, I don’t love you, but nor do I hate you. You just serve as a reminder of a time, that made me want to better myself. And for that, I am thankful to you.”_

His eyes widen slightly at her words, not expecting them. But after a short pause, he directs her a kind expression and continues along with his departure.

_“Goodbye, Rika.”_

And soon, the man had gone as quickly as he had come. Rika returned to her position on the bench, gazing back out into the flowers. And it was almost as if the encounter may have never even happened, but the content feeling in her heart, served her as a sweet reminder, that now, everything was going to continue to be, just fine.  

.

.

.

_My name is Rika._

_I have not been abandoned._

_Nor have I been discarded._

_I have accepted my place in this world._

_This is better for me._

_The worst has passed._

_Because I know, that I am not alone._

_And the one who saved me from my own misery didn’t need to be anyone else._

_Because I was the one, who saved me._


End file.
